Episode 65
🎶 Behind the Scenes of Neil Diamond's Musical Magic!
Get ready, folks, 'cause we’re diving into the world of *A Beautiful Noise*, the Neil Diamond musical that’s about to light up the Walton Arts Center! 🎤✨ We’ve got the fabulous Lisa Renee Pitts, who plays the Doctor, spilling the tea on what makes this show a must-see. It’s a wild ride through Neil’s life, jam-packed with his iconic hits and a peek behind the curtain of his journey. Lisa even gives us the inside scoop on her time playing Dr. Dre's mom in *Straight Outta Compton*—talk about a power move! So grab your tickets and let’s get ready to hum along to some classics while learning all about the man behind the music. 🎶💖
Kicking off with a bang, we dive into the world of theater with the fabulous Ms. Lisa Renee Pitts, who’s strutting her stuff as the Doctor in the sizzling musical, A Beautiful Noise! This isn’t just any show, folks; it’s a love letter to the legendary Neil Diamond, featuring all those classic jams that’ll have you singing along in the aisles. Lisa spills the tea on her journey, from playing Dr. Dre’s mom in Straight Outta Compton to belting out tunes about Neil's life. Talk about a glow-up! She gives us the scoop on what makes A Beautiful Noise *that* special, highlighting the unique two-character dynamic that lets the audience peek into Neil’s soul during therapy sessions—yes, you heard that right! Get ready for nostalgia mixed with a dose of therapy magic as they explore his hits and heartaches.
We also get the lowdown on Lisa’s first national tour, which is a whirlwind of excitement and exhaustion! She shares the thrills of performing in new cities and the electric vibes from fans who are just as hyped as she is. And let’s not forget Neil himself making a surprise appearance during their opening weekend—cue the crowd gasping! Lisa describes it as electrifying, and honestly, who wouldn’t want to witness that? We can practically feel the energy through the airwaves.
As we wrap up, Lisa drops some wisdom about the show, like the magical duet of I Am I Said that’ll leave you misty-eyed. She reminds us all to feed the happy wolf, a little nugget of truth that resonates deeply in today’s world. So grab your tickets and get ready to belt out Sweet Caroline, because A Beautiful Noise is gonna knock your socks off!
Takeaways:
- A Beautiful Noise is a musical tribute to Neil Diamond's life and music, featuring his greatest hits.
- Lisa Renee Pitts plays the role of the Doctor, exploring Neil's journey through therapy sessions.
- The show includes a unique twist where older and younger versions of Neil perform together, creating a magical moment.
- Neil Diamond himself was heavily involved in the production, ensuring authenticity in the show.
- Touring with the show has been a wild ride; there are no real days off, just lots of fun!
- The audience's energy is electrifying, especially when they kick off with Sweet Caroline – it’s a crowd favorite!
Transcript
And joining us this morning is.
Speaker A:We're so excited about this.
Speaker A:So many people, they're such a buzz.
Speaker A:Talking about A Beautiful Noise, the Neil diamond musical that's on its way to the Walton Arts center opening night is Tuesday night.
Speaker A:And we've got one of the stars of the show joining us this morning to discuss.
Speaker A:It's Ms. Lisa Renee Pitts who plays the Doctor.
Speaker A:Good morning, Lisa Renee.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker A:This is not your first time with like a musical.
Speaker A:You were in pretty much the biggest musical biopic of all time, weren't you?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Would you happen to be talking about Straight Outta Compton?
Speaker A:I might be talking about Straight Outta Compton.
Speaker A:You were Mama Verna, weren't you?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Dr. Dre's mother.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:It's amazing.
Speaker A:So let's talk about A Beautiful Noise real quick for those who, obviously most of us have not seen it yet, but there's so many excited.
Speaker A:What makes A Beautiful Noise?
Speaker A:Such a special tribute to the story of Neil Diamond.
Speaker B:This is a tribute because for all of the Neil diamond fans, you're gonna get all of the music, you're gonna get the seque and the glitter, but also you're going to get a two character play within this huge musical that talks about Neil Diamond's journey, his personal journey.
Speaker B:I play the doctor, his therapist, and it's through our sessions in the show that we take a look back on his life, where he was when he wrote particular songs, what was going on in his private life.
Speaker B:And so you're just going to get the best of both worlds.
Speaker B:And Neil diamond was very instrumental in helping to put this production together.
Speaker B:So everything that you hear and see is going to be right on point.
Speaker A:So it's essentially like us being in a therapy session with Neil diamond and getting to eavesdrop in the room.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Now I know that Neil was personally involved in shaping the show, has endorsed the show.
Speaker A:Have you had a chance to meet or hear from him personally?
Speaker B:Oh, yes.
Speaker B:He was able to attend our opening night in what actually was not our opening night, opening weekend.
Speaker B:He came to our performances in Los Angeles and it was a surprise for the audience.
Speaker B:We knew about a day before, but it was such a surprise for the audience.
Speaker B:It was electrifying.
Speaker B:We're still riding high from his presence being there.
Speaker B:It was just amazing.
Speaker B:I'm based in Los Angeles, but can I add that I'm actually from Flatbush, Brooklyn, just like Neil Diamond.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker B:I was so excited.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:But though I'm based in Los Angeles, I grew up in the Theater.
Speaker B:That's where I started my career.
Speaker B:So I never toured before, but would do regional theater, going to specific states and doing a show for maybe two or three months.
Speaker B:But for this particular show, going back into doing a musical theater and also touring.
Speaker B:As I mentioned, this is my first tour.
Speaker B:When I read this script, I was just taken.
Speaker B:It just drew me in.
Speaker B:As I mentioned, the fact that you have this intimate two character play going on within this huge dynamic musical about this icon, it just drew me in.
Speaker B:And so when I found out that we were going to all these wonderful cities like Fayetteville, Arkansas, which I've never been to, I had to just sign up.
Speaker A:You got to play Dr. Dre's mom in Straight Outta Compton, which is, I think, maybe the largest musical biopic.
Speaker A:Yeah, obviously that made a huge impact.
Speaker A:How did that change things for you in your career, that specific role?
Speaker B:Oh, you know, I hadn't even dreamt that dream to play an icon's mom.
Speaker B:You know, it just opened so many wonderful doors for me.
Speaker B:I'm so grateful to Dr. Dre and our director, F. Gary Gray, and all of the members of nwa, you know, to have this New York City girl tell this, you know, west coast story.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:It was just, you know, it was a dream come true that I hadn't even dreamt yet, you know, so I'm still on the high for it.
Speaker B:Every time I see it on television, I think it was just on maybe a couple of days ago.
Speaker B:And I just sit there and smile and just so grateful.
Speaker A:I can tell that you're still on a high from it because, as you know, we hear the term smile.
Speaker A:You can hear a smile in the voice, and I can hear that huge smile as you talk about it in your voice.
Speaker A:So it's chatting with Lisa Renee Pitts, who plays the doctor in the Neil diamond musical A Beautiful Noise that kicks off with opening night Tuesday at the Walton Arts Center.
Speaker A:And Lisa Renee, would you mind sticking around for just a moment and we'll have another chat in just a bit after I pay some bills and play some tunes.
Speaker B:I'd love to.
Speaker A:Thanks so much.
Speaker A:Back with more with Lisa Renee Pitts in about a half hour.
Speaker A:Back with Lisa Renee Pitts.
Speaker A:Here she is playing the doctor in A Beautiful Noise, the Neil diamond musical.
Speaker A:The national tour takes a stop right here in northwest Arkansas, the Walton Arts center in Fayetteville.
Speaker A:You can get your tickets@waltonartscenter.org and I can also give you a pair.
Speaker A:I've got a free pair of tickets to give away if you'll text the word noise to 479-600-BVA.
Speaker A:We'll get you entered to win those tickets again.
Speaker A:We're here with Lisa Renee Pitts.
Speaker A:Thank you for sticking around, taking the time to chat with us this morning.
Speaker A:We really appreciate it as we talk about this big stage production that has all the biggest hits of Neil Diamond's career.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:Is there a.
Speaker A:Do you have a favorite moment or a favorite song in this production, whether it be something you're performing or just something you see from the wings?
Speaker B:Oh, well, actually, I would say one of my favorite moments in the play, and I don't want to give it away too much, but when Neil.
Speaker B:We have two versions of Neil.
Speaker B:We have the older version of Neil and the younger version of Neil, who was really on the rise with his career.
Speaker B:And at the very end, they do a duet of I Am I Said so.
Speaker B:It's like you're looking back, you're able to talk to your younger self, and your younger self is able to talk to your older self, and it's just so magical.
Speaker B:It's one of my favorite moments in the show.
Speaker A:There are many of us of at least a certain age that look at that with admiration and go, don't we wish we could do that?
Speaker A:However.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Now, I know, you know, I've seen rave reviews that this.
Speaker A:That this.
Speaker A:This show's done so well on Broadway, and now you're on a national tour, have you been getting.
Speaker A:Do you feel that response from the audience?
Speaker A:Are they.
Speaker A:Are they reacting?
Speaker A:Was there any particular audience or any particular reaction that has stuck with you thus far?
Speaker B:Oh, yes.
Speaker B:I mean, I even go to the theater a little bit early.
Speaker B:You know, we do eight shows a week, sometimes nine.
Speaker B:And it can be tiring.
Speaker B:I'm not going to lie about that.
Speaker B:It can be tiring.
Speaker B:But when I go there early and I see the audience lined up outside, you know, around the corner with their little sequence on and their signs, it just gives us all energy we need.
Speaker B:And of course, when we start with Sweet Caroline, we just can't.
Speaker B:We just give it to the audience.
Speaker B:We just hand it right on over.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:There's no better way to add some energy to a room than with Sweet Caroline.
Speaker A:Without a doubt.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:We spoke earlier, and for listeners who are just catching this segment didn't catch us.
Speaker A:Earlier this morning, you played Dr. Dre's mom in Straight Outta Compton.
Speaker A:That biopic was huge and made a huge impact in your career.
Speaker A:And so you think about bringing an iconic mother to Life.
Speaker A:What do you think?
Speaker A:Whether it be an iconic mother like that or in this case, the Doctor, in a way, those roles are kind of similar, aren't they?
Speaker A:What make those characters so resonant to you?
Speaker B:Yes, because they talk about, I mean, in Strata, Compton, she just loved him and wanted the best for him.
Speaker B:And that's the same thing that I'm doing with this doctor, being the therapist, just being a good listener and giving advice and helping them to come to their own decision, you know, to just walk along with them.
Speaker B:So those are some of the similarities within those characters.
Speaker B:And I drew from, you know, my own family members, my mother, my aunts, my older sister, you know, of just being that kind of guiding force.
Speaker B:And I really love to portray those characters.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So you said earlier this morning that this is your.
Speaker A:You've done some regional theater runs and of course you've done, you've done film, you know, big screen and TV and tons of narration.
Speaker A:But this is your first time as a national tour.
Speaker A:For you, what is the, what's kind of been the most surprising thing about touring life that most people don't realize?
Speaker B:The most surprising thing is we.
Speaker B:The most surprising thing, and it was to me as well, is that we really don't have a day off.
Speaker B:You know, Monday is our technical day off, but we travel.
Speaker B:So every Monday we are in like a new time zone, a new state.
Speaker B:We go across the country in a day.
Speaker B:And that, you know, we put up this huge production in like, you know, two days.
Speaker B:That is just mind boggling what we have accomplished.
Speaker B:We've just finished our first year.
Speaker B:We're right into our second year right now.
Speaker B:And it's just still amazing to me what we accomplished week to week over the past year.
Speaker B:And we still have another year to go.
Speaker B:We just got started.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I cannot wait to see this again.
Speaker A:Speaking with Lisa, Renee Pitts, who plays the doctor in A Beautiful Noise.
Speaker A:It is the Neil diamond musical and it's a musical that was created in conjunction with Neil diamond himself.
Speaker A:He was involved in scripting it.
Speaker A:He's endorsed the show.
Speaker A:And it's going to kick off with opening night Tuesday night at the Walton Arts center in Fayetteville.
Speaker A:Waltonartscenter.org and before we leave, is there any, you know, most musicals, there comes this time when they get you in the feels, you know, I mean, they do, they do throughout the whole act.
Speaker A:But is there a particular lyric or a particular message or line that just hits you truly, personally, every single time.
Speaker B:Feed the happy wolf, you know, because he's had a lot of anxiety in his life as such.
Speaker B:But she says that in the line about feed the happy wolf and everyone who comes listen for that line and you'll understand.
Speaker B:You'll know what I'm talking about.
Speaker A:I absolutely cannot wait to see this.
Speaker A:He's just one of the greatest legends ever, Neil Diamond.
Speaker A:And a beautiful noise brings his uplifting true story and a lot of things that a lot of people don't know about his life.
Speaker A:And it's going to be opening night Tuesday night at the Walton Arts Center.
Speaker A:Lisa Renee Pitts playing the doctor who also played Dr. Dre's mom, Verna in Straight out of Compton.
Speaker A:Lisa Renee Pitts, thank you so much for taking the time with us.
Speaker A:And I really hope you thoroughly enjoy Fayetteville.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:It's been my pleasure.
Speaker B:Thank you.
